Dawn of Dreams: Book 2: Seeing the Dawn
by TrappedintheTimeVortex
Summary: A period of six moons has elapsed since the death of Eclipse, the beloved founder of EclipseClan, and change has descended upon the seven Clans in the fashion of names, births, and losses. Dire portents seem to persist in every curvature of the landscape and in spite of an altruistic sacrifice, discord threatens all. 2nd in the Dawn of Dreams Series.
1. Allegiances

**EclipseClan**

**Leader:** Inkstar; gaunt black she-cat with pale green eyes (Sister of Nightleaf) *

**Apprentice: **Rowanpaw; light brown she-cat with pronounced tabby stripes

**Deputy:** Brackenheart; muscular golden-brown tabby tom with golden eyes (Mate of Lunarbreeze)

**Apprentice: **Badgerpaw; fluffy black-and-white tom with emerald eyes

**Medicine Cat:** Juniperheart; small cream she-cat with sky blue eyes and a ginger tabby tail (Sister of Squirrelwhisker)

**Apprentice: **Acornpaw; fluffy chestnut-and-white she-cat with emerald eyes *

**Warriors**

Barkclaw; stout brown tom with golden eyes, rumpled fur, and a nicked ear (Mate of Nightleaf)

**Apprentice: **Stormpaw; very dark grey tabby she-cat with emerald eyes

Leafnose; brown tabby she-cat with sky blue eyes and a white underbelly (Sister of Barkclaw and Whitetail)

**Apprentice: **Aspenpaw; white she-cat with dark tabby patches

Whitetail; brown tabby tom with amber eyes, two white paws, and a white tail tip and ear

**Apprentice:** Heatherpaw; golden-brown tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes *

Lunarbreeze; tri-colored (black, grey, white) she-cat with emerald eyes (Mother of Acornpaw, Vinepaw, and Marshpaw)

**Apprentice: **Lilypaw; black she-cat with emerald eyes, white legs, and a white belly

Nightleaf; slender black she-cat with green eyes (Mother of Lilypaw, Badgerpaw, Crowpaw, and Stormpaw)

Creekfrost; grey tabby tom with ice-blue eyes (Mate of Fernberry)

**Apprentice: **Marshpaw; tri-colored (black, grey, white) tom with emerald eyes

Mistpetal; slender grey she-cat with ice-blue eyes (Sister of Creekfrost)

**Apprentice: **Crowpaw; black-and-white she-cat with silver eyes

Fernberry; cream she-cat with ice-blue eyes (Mother of Juniperheart and Squirrelwhisker)

**Apprentice: **Larchpaw; brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Creamtuft; fluffy cream she-cat with golden eyes and a mouse-brown patch above her nose (Mother of Heatherpaw)

Squirrelwhisker; fluffy dark ginger tom with grey-tipped fur and pale green eyes

**Apprentice: **Vinepaw; brown tom with darker brown patches, a pink nose, and blue eyes

**Queens**

Blackthorn (Mother of Dockfire's kits: Fennelkit, Pansykit, Gorsekit)

_Fennelkit; marbled dark brown tabby tom with golden_ _eyes_ *

_Pansykit; pale golden she-cat with blue eyes_

_Gorsekit; ginger tabby tom with golden eyes_

* * *

><p><strong><span>StreamClan<span>**

**Leader:** Fishstar; silver tabby tom with pale green eyes and a white chest (Mate of Mossyflower)

**Deputy:** Mossyflower; tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with pale blue eyes (Mother of Troutpaw and Pebblepaw)

**Medicine Cat:** Frogtooth; mottled dark brown tom with pale green eyes (Brother of Ottertail)

**Apprentice: **Pebblepaw; dark grey tabby she-cat with sky blue eyes

**Warriors**

Reedtail; dark grey she-cat with emerald green eyes and a tabby striped tail

Greysky; sleek grey she-cat with emerald eyes (Sister of Reedtail, Fishstar, and Plumskip)

Duckfang; white tom with protruding canines (Mate of Ottertail)

Minnowfur; slender grey she-cat with darker flecks and golden eyes (Sister of Duckfang)

Ottertail; brown she-cat with a cream-tipped tail and amber eyes (Mother of Splashtail and Heronsplash)

Dapplewing; dark grey she-cat with minute ginger flecks, white paws, and a white chest (Sister of Mossyflower)

Salmonheart; pale ginger she-cat with a dark ginger stripe along her spine and darker paws

Birchleg; light brown tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes (Sister of Volebelly)

Volebelly; stout, broad-shouldered brown tom with dark brown ears and a pale underbelly

Snakefang; long-legged brown tom with golden eyes and menacing canines (Brother of Shrewmask)

**Apprentice: **Troutpaw; silver tom with mottled brown patches and a white underbelly

Shrewmask; slender dark brown she-cat with pale green eyes

Heronsplash; cream tom with amber eyes (Brother of Splashtail)

Splashtail; pale grey tabby she-cat with sky blue eyes

* * *

><p><strong><span>DuskClan<span>**

**Leader:** Dusk; mouse-brown she-cat with golden eyes

**Deputy:** Fadingwish; broad-shouldered light ginger tom with golden eyes (Mate of Sunriseheart)

**Medicine Cat:** Faintlight; small mouse-brown she-cat with golden eyes

**Apprentice: **Redpaw; dark ginger tom with black tabby stripes and golden eyes

**Warriors**

Willowsong; pale grey tabby she-cat with emerald eyes

**Apprentice: **Scarletpaw; dark ginger she-cat with pale green eyes

Rushpelt; pale ginger tom with broad shoulders (Brother of Fadingwish and Hilltail)

Hilltail; brown tabby tom with golden eyes and a pale underbelly (Mate of Sunblossom)

Lighttail; fluffy pale golden tom, almost white tom with golden eyes

Sunblossom; fluffy pale golden, almost white she-cat with amber eyes (Sister of Lighttail and Sunriseheart)

Thundersky; ginger tabby tom with a pale underbelly and bright blue eyes (Brother of Jayfur)

**Apprentice: **Cloudpaw; fluffy white tom with bright blue eyes

Jayfur; mottled pale ginger she-cat with bright blue eyes

**Apprentice: **Amberpaw; golden-brown she-cat with a very pale underbelly and a dark ginger stripe along her spine *

Runningcloud; pale grey tom with golden eyes (Brother of Echosky and Mintnose)

Dustfall; mouse-brown tom with a pale underbelly and dark green eyes

Spiderpath; black tom with golden eyes (Brother of Jumpfire)

Jumpfire; black tom with emerald eyes and menacing claws

Greentail; light brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

**Queens**

Sunriseheart (Mother of Fadingwish's kits: Rosekit, Blazingkit, Flamekit, and Cherrykit)

_Rosekit; pale ginger she-cat with blue eyes_

_Blazingkit; ginger tabby tom with pale green eyes and spiky fur_

_Flamekit; dark ginger tabby tom with golden eyes_

_Cherrykit; ginger tabby she-cat with blue eyes_

* * *

><p><strong><span>DarkClan<span>**

**Leader:** Dark; black tom with golden eyes (Brother of Yewberry and Stormsky)

**Deputy:** Mintnose; broad-shouldered grey tom with pale green eyes (Mate of Yewberry)

**Medicine Cat:** Sparrowheart; brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly and blue eyes

**Apprentice: **Skypaw; brown-and-white tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes *

**Warriors**

Raindream; grey-and-white tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes (Sister of Mistyfur)

Stormsky; black she-cat with amber eyes and a white star on her chest

**Apprentice: **Tawnypaw; pale brown she-cat with ginger and cream patches

Shortstep; black tom with short legs (Mate of Mistyfur)

Quickfoot; ginger tabby tom with white paws and dark green eyes (Mate of Twigleap)

Weaselnose; red-brown tom with a white underbelly (Brother of Quickfoot; Mate of Creampatch)

Mudlegs; brown tom with dark brown legs and tail (Mate of Echosky)

**Apprentice: **Sedgepaw; brown tabby she-cat with dark green eyes

Creampatch; brown tabby she-cat with cream patches (Sister of Mudlegs, Sparrowheart, and Twigleap)

Twigleap; mouse-brown she-cat with pale green eyes (Mother of Skypaw, Tawnypaw, and Sedgepaw)

Volefur; stout dark brown tom with golden eyes (Mate of Raindream)

Echosky; white she-cat with bright blue eyes

Owlflight; dark grey tom with round amber eyes

Oakblaze; dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Queens**

Yewberry (Mother of Mintnose's kits: Airkit and Stonekit)

_Airkit; pale grey she-cat with bright blue eyes_

_Stonekit; dark grey tabby tom with green eyes_

Mistyfur (Mother of Shortstep's kits: Ripplekit and Fishkit)

_Ripplekit; silver tom with rippling black tabby stripes and emerald eyes_

_Fishkit; silver tom with golden eyes_

* * *

><p><strong><span>HerbClan<span>**

**Leader:** Herb; fluffy dark grey she-cat with emerald eyes that have white markings beneath them

**Deputy:** Catnipheart; pale ginger tabby she-cat with a pink nose and sky blue eyes

**Medicine Cat: **Watermintleaf; pale grey she-cat with a white chest and paws

**Warriors**

Parsleystripe; pale golden-brown tom with a darker stripe between his broad shoulders

Rootfang; muscular light brown tom with golden eyes (Brother of Parsleystripe)

Barktail; dark brown tom with pale green eyes (Mate of Poppyfoot)

Tansyflower; fluffy cream she-cat with emerald eyes

Gingerwind; pale ginger tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes (Sister of Tansyflower)

Comfreytalon; fluffy silver tom with menacing claws

Dockfire; muscular brown tabby tom with pale green eyes (Brother of Catnipheart)

Poppyfoot; tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with pale green eyes (Mother of Nettlefur and Yarrowstorm)

Sorrelfrost; tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat with golden eyes (Sister of Poppyfoot)

Lavenderheart; pale grey she-cat with emerald eyes

Willowtail; dark grey, almost black she-cat with emerald eyes (Sister of Lavenderheart)

Feverfewwhisker; grey-and-white tabby tom with pale green eyes (Brother of Watermintleaf)

Nettlefur; dark brown tabby tom with ice-blue eyes

Yarrowstorm; white tom with a brown-speckled pelt and green eyes

**Queens**

Mallowsky (Mother of Parsleystripe's kits: Basilkit, Marigoldkit, and Garlickit)

_Basilkit; brown-and-white tabby tom with blue eyes_

_Marigoldkit; golden-brown she-cat with splotches of brown and golden eyes_

_Garlickit; cream tom with dark river-blue eyes, a darker stripe between his shoulders, and darker ears_

* * *

><p><strong><span>SpiritClan<span>**

**Leader:** Spirit; sleek mouse-brown she-cat with golden eyes (Mother of Sloepaw and Timberpaw)

**Deputy:** Falcontalon; massive mouse-brown tom with golden eyes and menacing claws

**Medicine Cat:** Shimmerfur

**Warriors**

Boulderjaw; well-muscled grey tabby tom with dark blue eyes and a bitten ear (Brother of Wolfflight)

Wolfflight; smoky grey tom with angular tufts of fur emerging from his foreleg

Bumbletail; golden tom with darker stripes and blue eyes (Brother of Spiderstrike and Windgaze)

Spiderstrike; black tom with beady golden eyes

Meadowthorn; mouse-brown tabby she-cat with a pale underbelly, dark blue eyes and dark brown ears (Sister of Falcontalon)

**Apprentice:** Sloepaw; fluffy black she-cat with emerald eyes

Foxbird; leggy red-brown tom with golden eyes (renowned for his ability to pluck birds from the sky)

**Apprentice:** Sagepaw; light brown tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Ravenwing; fluffy black tom with icy blue eyes

Sharpscar; broad-shouldered grey tabby tom with white paws, golden eyes, and a scarred face

**Apprentice:** Timberpaw; large dark brown tom with golden eyes and a grey muzzle

Oddeye; brown tabby tom with heterochromia and one squinting eye (Brother of Acornflight)

Acornflight; red-brown she-cat with pale green eyes

Plumskip; pointed grey tabby she-cat with pale green eyes

Stonehawk; broad-shouldered slate-grey tom with tufty fur and dark blue eyes

Archflame; sleek black-and-ginger she-cat with amber eyes (Sister of Stonehawk)

Mottlewing; very light brown mottled she-cat with bright blue-green eyes (Mate of Ravenwing)

Snowdrop; fluffy white she-cat with pale green eyes (Sister of Mottlewing)

**Queens**

Windgaze (Mother of Falcontalon's kits: Sorrelkit and Longkit)

_Sorrelkit; tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes_

_Longkit; light brown, almost cream tom with long silver whiskers_

* * *

><p><strong><span>AutumnClan<span>**

**Leader:** Autumn; orange tabby she-cat with a pale underbelly, emerald eyes, notched ears, and a scar along her flank (Sister of Cherryscar)

**Deputy:** Stormstripe; broad-shouldered grey tabby tom with golden eyes (Mate of Cherryscar)

**Medicine Cat:** Cloudheart; very pale grey she-cat with bright blue eyes and sharp claws

**Warriors**

Ebonyflower; fluffy black she-cat with emerald eyes

Specklefur; mottled light brown she-cat with pale green eyes (Sister of Furzestreak)

Furzestreak; golden she-cat with a pale underbelly and darker flecks

Muddytail; brown tom with a dark brown tail and golden eyes (Brother of Waspfoot)

Waspfoot; dark brown tom with golden eyes

Graytail; fluffy white she-cat with a silver tabby tail and bright blue eyes (Sister of Stormstripe) *

Sootclaw; very dark grey she-cat with bright blue eyes and sharp claws (Sister of Cloudheart)

Fogfang; fluffy silver tom with golden eyes

Whitepelt; fluffy white tom with golden eyes (Brother of Fogfang)

Lightningfall; golden tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Rockfang; muscular grey-and-white tom with a bitten ear and dark blue eyes

Bushfur; small mouse-brown tom with golden eyes

Acornpelt; small reddish-brown tom with amber eyes (Brother of Bushfur)

Leafdrop; fluffy white she-cat with patches of red-brown and chocolate brown

Redfall; slender reddish-brown she-cat with yellow eyes, a white chest, paws, and face, and a white tail tip (Daughter of Harley and Cherryscar) *

Bristlefoot; light brown tabby tom with spiky fur and golden eyes (Brother of Redfall and Tanglefur)

Tanglefur; brown tom with spiky fur (Mate of Leafdrop)

**Queens**

Cherryscar (Mother of Stormstripe's kits: Birdkit and Slatekit)

_Birdkit; chocolate-and-red-brown tortoiseshell she-cat with a white underside and silver eyes_

_Slatekit; large slate-grey tom with blue eyes_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **To make this less confusing for you, the reader, I have devised a system showing the relations between these cats. If you see (Mate of Ex.), this usually states that said cat is the mate of the cat mentioned in parentheses and also the father/mother of their kits (if any). Also, StreamClan and HerbClan both possess very strict nomenclature. While some of these warriors retained their original names, many received a name change when their Clan was established. Cats with a star by their name possess a special focus in this story. And you may wonder why the typical warrior nomenclature was instated, so read on!

TrappedintheTimeVortex


	2. Prologue

**A/N: **This is a continuation into the _Warriors _series I am writing. If you are confused concerning the identity of the characters, it is recommended that you read the first story, _Entwined Dreams_, before you read this. Just click on my name and look for it.

Also, I should mention trigger warnings for gore. It's really just as bad as the first, which I didn't think was too bad, but I can't speak for everyone.

* * *

><p><em>No!<em> Ink blundered into the hollow, heart palpitating, no sooner than she heard the first keen. _He can't die! Not yet!_

Breath hitched upon witnessing the ghastly sight. A shadowy horde inundated the bramble tunnel; the two foremost cats were illuminated by moonlight, fur scintillating like silver. Said cats bore a matching corpse upon their shoulders whose pelt had been cauterized prior to present. The vermillion flesh oozed a sallow liquid. _No! I was too late! _Ink bowed her head, muting her cries with ebony fur. Yet she could not permit these cats to question her appointed authority, nor could she permit the Clan he fabricated to dissipate.

"Eclipse is dead," Ink announced to her Clanmates, as well as to those cats she was not acquainted with. "His name shall be remembered as long as the Clans are in existence. Like the heavenly bodies, every cat shall know his name. This I vow to you."

_I am leader of EclipseClan now. Lead well, ancient spirits. I shall do your bidding._


	3. Chapter 1

_Inkstar_

* * *

><p>Observing Clanmates chattering or consuming prey from within the dim confines of her den, Inkstar experienced discontentment welling within. <em>Are they feigning happiness? Of course, they must be. <em>Grieved eyes scrutinized worrying paws; smoky grey talons emerged from where they nestled amid strands of ebony fur. _When I vowed to Eclipse that I would strive to do all I could for his Clan, I never faltered. However, my leadership is mediocre in comparison to his. I am scarcely qualified for the burden upon my shoulders; I only returned to this hollow to bid farewell to the cats I had known and to banish the festering grief from my soul. Perhaps I should step down._

"Inkstar?" Pale green eyes affixed the bony bird which produced a pathetic noise before sprawling prostrate at her paws. Averting her gaze from the proffered prey, Inkstar confronted a golden stare laced with apprehension. These large eyes were property of her deputy, Brackenheart. "If you continue to sulk in your den like this, you'll starve."

Disregarding the thrush, Inkstar meowed, "My gratitude to you, Brackenheart. Watching the needs of a Clan can be quite the difficult task."

"Inkstar, you needn't lie to me," Brackenheart responded icily. "You know as well as I that, although Eclipse may have departed with a mighty role to fulfill, you are more than suited for the role. Thanks to you, both EclipseClan and DarkClan are thriving in their respective territories. And what cat led us through the turbulent hostilities between HerbClan and DuskClan?"

"Yet a cat died for it," Inkstar countered drily, casting not her gaze toward Brackenheart.

Indignant, every hair that comprised Brackenheart's pelt bristled as he prowled forward. "Give yourself credit!" When no response emanated from the ebony she-cat, the ire of the golden tabby ebbed. Taciturnly, Brackenheart departed. Angst delved into the chest of the ebony leader, an agony more heartrending than puncturing enemy talons. _My claws were the claws that caused the death of an honorable cat. My paws were the paws that were not hasty enough to warn my leader not to enter the heat of the flames. What cat is there to blame other than me? And why is Brackenheart so unwilling to see these crimes?_

"Inkstar?" Detaching from the sorrow, Inkstar peered toward the scant voice. Crowpaw, one of her sister's kits, attempted to dispel the darkness with a blink of her grey eyes. "Nightleaf promised us that you would watch our training today. Can you, please?"

Inkstar observed her kin with an inquisitive yet sympathetic gaze. Prior remorse dissipated as the ebony leader stood, querying, "Nightleaf truly made such demands of me?" Purrs resonated throughout the entirety of Inkstar's chest as she announced, "Does my littermate not remember that I am Clan leader now – that my path is difficult and I scarcely have a moment to interfere with measly apprentices?"

Instantaneously, Crowpaw appeared irritable, with ebony ears constrained against the contours of her skull. To soothe the ireful apprentice, Inkstar extended her tail until its tip grazed Crowpaw's shoulder. "Calm yourself, Crowpaw. I was merely teasing. Of course I will be there."

_My kin mean the world to me._

No sooner than Inkstar lapsed into pace adjacent to Crowpaw, a slender apprentice with pronounced tabby stripes approached. "I overheard Crowpaw talking," she mumbled abashedly. "May I accompany you as well, Inkstar?"

The ebony leader observed her apprentice, one of the cats Eclipse had loved dearly as well as one of the kits she served in salvaging from the wrath of a snowstorm. As more memories ascended to place strife upon her thoughts, Inkstar could scarcely utter a syllable.

"_Didn't you vow never to lose another cat to the cold so that my death would not be in vain?_" Perhaps she hallucinated the toddling figure, fur stippled with stars, approaching her. His strident mew was too stern for his age. "_You did not allow those kits to perish._"

Inkstar conceded but was nonetheless morose. _But my resolve was not enough to save you! _Discordant voices alerted her consciousness, casting the ebony she-cat into the present as the dark brown kit dissipated.

"Inkstar, are you alright?" Rowanpaw stared concernedly at her mentor.

"Quite," Inkstar responded, suppressing her morose attitude. "And Rowanpaw, you may accompany us. Crowpaw, inform your littermates to fetch their mentors." Dismissively, she gestured toward the black-and-white apprentice. After Crowpaw departed in a hasty scamper, seeking Mistpetal, Inkstar again addressed Rowanpaw. "Shall we go on ahead?"

* * *

><p>"Flatten yourself against the soil as much as you are capable of, Badgerpaw," Inkstar instructed. "If you remain in a partial crouch, prey might be able to see your coming."<p>

With a grimace, the large black-and-white tom complied, until he was almost lying upon the peaty earth. "Better?" He prompted.

Inkstar nodded. "Now creep forward. Be careful not to disturb the undergrowth or leaves. It might frighten any prey that you might be trying to hunt."

Badgerpaw managed a total of two toddling steps before he toppled forward so that he sprawled gracelessly. "I can't!" Badgerpaw exclaimed exasperatedly between pants. "My body is too large for stalking and the closer I get to the ground, the more difficult it becomes for me to walk."

"Then do as I do," Brackenheart advised his apprentice. "I see that you tuck your tail in while stalking. Instead of that, extend your tail while padding forward, keeping it level with your body. It should help you to maintain balance while you crouch."

"Good idea," Lunarbreeze, his mate, chimed in. Emerald eyes glowed as she proceeded, "Lilypaw may be light on her paws, but she does have difficulty in balancing before she gathers herself to spring for a catch."

Barkclaw twitched his whiskers. "No offence, Brackenheart, but a tail floating about will surely bring attention to a hunting cat."

Before an argument might commence, Inkstar meowed, "Surely we can assess both concepts and see which permits Badgerpaw to have better luck while hunting. However, what is ideal for one cat may not be ideal for another." To Badgerpaw, the ebony leader commanded, "Practice Brackenheart's suggestion first."

Badgerpaw nodded and descended into form, taking care to extend his tail as Brackenheart advised. Inkstar surveyed her kin as his jaws unhinged so as to inhale the flavors of the autumn forest. "Squirrel!" The young cat uttered the word in a hushed manner.

_Excellent work,_ Inkstar praised her nephew inwardly. She too had sighted the creature scampering toward a knurled oak, the coarse leaden fur of its tail undulating. For the first several steps, he complied with his training but when the squirrel was alerted to his presence, Badgerpaw thrust himself into pursuit of the fleeing prey.

Little was the young cat aware that the creature darted into a bramble thicket, winding amid the barbed tendrils as it absconded. Badgerpaw was unable to cease his pattering paws and thus hurtled headfirst into the thicket with a discordant yelp. Barkclaw pelted toward his son and commenced to probe past the brambles until his claws affixed to tufty fur. Inkstar stood beside her sister's mate, aiding him in his attempt to haul Badgerpaw from the thicket.

While every apprentice proffered aid, Brackenheart decreed that they not involve themselves in the circumstance lest they too become entangled. He and Lunarbreeze affixed their claws to the afflicted apprentice; the additional aid provided strength enough to clear Badgerpaw of the thicket. Yet blood seeped from a rent ear and more dreadful, the three barbed tendrils laced about his throat, throttling her nephew.

"Bite through the tendrils," Inkstar hissed in spite of the fur saturated with blood to which she clung. Would she permit another cat to perish in her presence? _Never! _Tersely, Inkstar declared, "Lunarbreeze and I will keep him still. Removing the barbs will be agonizing for him. Are you ready, Badgerpaw?"

"Alright," the apprentice inhaled. Inkstar was certain that the apprentice desired to cease his agony. She too did not wish to see her nephew suffer for any length of time.

Squeaking and perchance writhing for a heartbeat as the stems were nipped from about his throat, Badgerpaw hobbled toward his father. Stormpaw, Crowpaw, and Lilypaw commenced to throng toward their littermate, but Inkstar obstructed the pathway with her tail. "Take Badgerpaw to see Juniperheart and Acornpaw immediately. Some cat will need to check for embedded thorns and ensure that infection never reaches that wound on his ear."

_He was wounded. _Misery pulsated afresh within Inkstar as Badgerpaw, with support of his father, headed toward the camp. Stormpaw, Crowpaw, and Lilypaw shadowed their father and littermate, concern apparent in their gazes. _Badgerpaw is my kin. I was supposed to protect him, keep him safe from harm. _

"_You saved him from dying, didn't you?_" Pale green eyes sealed their sight from the environment as the dark brown kit reassured her again. "_You did all that you were capable of. Some situations are beyond our control_."

_And when did you get to be so wise? _Inkstar mused, gazing at the kit through affable eyes. His sonorous purr pealed in the ears of the ebony she-cat, masking all other noise until she again alighted within the confines of reality.

"Inform the other mentors that no apprentice is to train today." Like boulders deposited onto her shoulders, Inkstar sensed the obligations of her leadership commence. "Instead, warn them to be wary."

Brackenheart cordially addressed his leader. "Indeed. And what of border patrols?"

"I shall lead one along our border with StreamClan," Inkstar declared after fleetingly lapsing in speech. "Inform Nightleaf and Blackthorn to meet me at this location."

"Very well, Inkstar." As the golden tabby deputy pivoted, veering toward where his mate awaited his approach. Their tails entwined; Inkstar experienced a fleeting sensation of envy but discarded the emotion no sooner than it ascended. _What is wrong with me? My days of having a mate are over._

Bleary eyes skimmed the horizon, where the sun delved into a pool comprised of vermillion and tangerine. Clouds eddied amid the hues like stray tufts of sheep's wool snagged on a fence post. _Watch it vanish, replaced by the moon, and know that it will appear again in the morning. In our ever altering world, the heavenly bodies are our only solace. _Memories tainted with woe inundated Inkstar's mind.

_Standing adjacent to Juniper, Ink regarded the young cream she-cat slathering herbs onto the seared pelt of her former leader, as if to affirm the callous reality of his passing. "I sense the grief you bear upon your pelt," the medicine cat meowed. The clarity of her words disconcerted Ink. "Like the sun, he never truly dies. Instead, he persists, treading the skies each day and immersing himself into the dreams of those he knew. See, this was not the end for him, merely the beginning. Never mourn his loss, for he never left."_

If what the medicine cat uttered was indeed truth, then where was the silver tom now?


	4. Chapter 2

_Skykit_

* * *

><p>"Skykit, do you accept the post of apprenticeship presented by Sparrowheart?" Dark queried of the petite brown-and-white tabby she-cat, his yellow eyes aglow.<p>

Skykit dipped her head. _For the sake of DarkClan, I shall become a medicine cat! For the sake of the cat that saved my life and gave me my name, I shall become a medicine cat!_

Twigleap, her mother, recited the tale many a time – during their stay with EclipseClan and no sooner than DarkClan settled their rightful territory a moon ago. Concerning the first matter, Skykit frequently sensed the inquisitive gazes of EclipseClan's warriors affixed to her pelt; their murmurs inundated her ears. Some speculated their leader's intent in sparing her, while less sympathetic cats deduced that she was a waste. Eclipse, the founder of EclipseClan, might have spared Skykit from a conflagration but he was incapable of sparing her of the wrath of his Clanmates.

_Is he watching me now, from CloudClan? Does he see the path that I will tread? _Skykit mused.

"Then it pleases CloudClan for you to receive a new name: Skypaw. We trust that your wisdom shall guide us well in the moons to come."

As the Clan chanted her new title, along with those of her littermates, Skypaw was certain that she sighted a silvery figure whose fur was laced with stars inputting his cry as well.

"Skypaw!" Sparrowheart beckoned to her new apprentice across the hollow. "Come along. Today, I intend to show you about the territory while I instruct you about the appearance of several remedies."

Skypaw disregarded the cat whose fur was entwined with stars and commenced to approach her mentor. Sparrowheart was both sprightly and intelligent – and Skypaw's aunt nonetheless. Had mentor and apprentice not been kin, Skypaw would persistent with the utmost respect for Sparrowheart. "Where should we begin?" Skypaw inquired, blue eyes averting Sparrowheart.

"Some patches where herbs formerly flourished were permanently singed by the fire," Sparrowheart clarified. "However, I do know that some survived along our border with EclipseClan. Perhaps I could introduce you to Juniperheart and her apprentice before the full moon Meeting."

Skypaw held scarce recollections of Juniperheart, save that the cream she-cat thoroughly examined her until Skypaw squirmed irritably. At the time, Skypaw deduced that the medicine cat was insane from the scrutinizing nature of her icy blue eyes. However, as time elapsed, Skypaw conceded that Juniperheart merely improperly dealt with her emotions during their initial encounter as the cream she-cat was quite amiable since.

"Could we focus on herbs now?" Skypaw decided. "Juniperheart is nice, but I know that we can speak with her at any time because of our shared border."

"Quite right," Sparrowheart conceded with a flick of her ear. "We should begin seeking herbs. I know that I scented a clump of dock beneath an oak tree near the northern border. Perhaps we should start there."

* * *

><p>Dusk had long since tainted the horizon with vermillion and violet; at present inky claws sought purchase in the vibrant veil, rending color with darkness. Skypaw, a bundle of burdock root bound between her jaws, glimpsed sheer cliff walls towering above her.<p>

_How could this camp have been set alight? I could never imagine my home on fire._

Yet as Skypaw regarded the hollow, she sighted a wan cat grappling with a cleaving ledge. Soil and stones showered the earth beneath. This cat, albeit striving to maintain a regular breathing rate, alighted on the ridge.

_The nursery!_

Blue eyes skimmed the length of the trail before affixing a shadowy opening in the earth.

_This is Eclipse when he saved me! Oh, CloudClan!_

Skypaw scarcely heard Sparrowheart's shriek as her legs buckled beneath her and she collided with soil. Ebony infested her vision; Skypaw was incapable of resistance.

* * *

><p>Turquoise water convoluted the appearance of the moon. Reveling in the muted stroke of waves upon the gravelly shore, Skypaw was content to lie adjacent to the pool until her limbs stiffened abruptly. Attempting to extend each limb in kind, Skypaw sensed her paws dab the water. With a screech, the apprentice vaulted in reverse, for the water was alight with flame. Innumerable murmurs inundated her ears.<p>

"_Death is coming. Death will come to the silver cat._"

"_Dawn's final song will come to Heartland, but not until the sky has fallen and death has come to the silver cat."_

_"__Just as each day has its dawn, each must be followed by fading light."_

"_When stars fall, the spirits shall fade from memory._"

Skypaw was seized by tremors as screeches spun in her skull, quelling her thoughts.

_Our ancestors have betrayed us! The Clans will fall! Our ancestors have betrayed us!_

* * *

><p>When Skypaw attained consciousness, an ache commenced to pulsate in her jaw. The tabby-and-white apprentice strove to stand, but ceased after Sparrowheart grazed her shoulder with the tip of her tail. "Stay still," Sparrowheart decreed. "The poppy seeds may have done their work, but I suspect that you bruised your jaw. There was quite a bit of blood, so you might have sustained a concussion as well."<p>

Grimacing, Skypaw coiled into her mossy nest. Sparrowheart included no queries as to what had induced the blackout. For this, Skypaw was grateful. Much as the tabby-and-white apprentice desired to dismiss her dream sequence as a mere nightmare, Skypaw was the medicine cat apprentice. Any dream might contain potential omens or prophecies. Yet, could she entrust this knowledge to Sparrowheart?

If CloudClan truly forsook the Clans, was the prophecy legitimate? Were individual spirits attempting to obtain her attention so as to warn her?

"Skypaw!" Sparrowheart was replaced with Tawnypaw, one of Skypaw's littermates. Golden eyes radiated exuberance. "Will you be ready to attend the Meeting tomorrow?" Her plea was ensued by a flourish of the tail. "Dark already promised me and Sedgepaw that we could go."

"I hope that the both of you have fun," Skypaw muttered, prophecy stifling her mood.

"I apologize for disturbing you," Tawnypaw retorted irritably before padding from the medicine den.

Skypaw desired to cry out to Tawnypaw, to inform her of what anguished her so, but the words shriveled in her throat. _I can tell no cat of what I have witnessed until I have accumulated more proof._

* * *

><p>"Is that you?" Acornpaw bounded toward Skypaw as DarkClan materialized before the commencement of the Meeting, downy chestnut tail oscillating as an affirmation of her exuberance. "I assume that you are an apprentice now, seeing as you are attending the Meeting. Which cat is your mentor?"<p>

Skypaw scarcely recovered from the inundation of queries before Juniperheart inputted herself into the situation, nodding cordially to Skypaw. "Welcome, young apprentice. CloudClan have already informed me of the path you selected to tread."

"Is that right?" Sparrowheart challenged, puffing as she trod upon the tussocks inflicted with frost. Yet Skypaw discerned the amiability of her mentor. "Juniperheart, I know that you aren't trying to convince my apprentice to join EclipseClan."

"Hardly so!" Juniperheart responded genially. "I was merely congratulating her."

Emerald eyes flickered with jubilance as Acornpaw declared, "Skypaw, you are going to be a medicine cat as well? This will be wonderful!"

Averting the gleeful stare of her friend, Skypaw hostilely scrutinized the stars. _Unless CloudClan betrays us, perhaps you are right, Acornpaw. Nonetheless, I cannot merely disregard what information I have been supplied with, whether it stems from CloudClan or not. Do any of them know? _

"Silence!" Skypaw found her attention baited by Dark's words. Her leader thronged the consciousness of the masses, produced an alteration in the gaze of each cat present. "Thank you," he addressed them convivially. "I know many of us visit – for many, it may be a reunion with kin or an opportunity to discuss tactics. Yet these Meetings also portray that each Clan thrives alone. Our differences provide uniqueness and not conformity. We tread the forest with our Clanmates for a moon, only to testify our accomplishments here." His head bowed. "Forgive me. What I only wish to say is that DarkClan still thank EclipseClan for sheltering us during the fire, and we have returned to our territory and are thriving. Just two days ago, I appointed three new apprentices. Twigleap is overjoyed to see that Skypaw, Tawnypaw, and Sedgepaw will be trained toward their separate paths – Skypaw interpreting omens and conversing with CloudClan."

Inkstar prowled forward. "I too appointed three new apprentices, the kits of Blackthorn. Welcome Pansypaw, Fennelpaw, and Gorsepaw to the Meeting."

"Thank you, Inkstar," an ebony warrior, presumably Blackthorn, trained her gaze toward a dark tabby warrior with pale green eyes. Merely by affixing her azure gaze to him, Skypaw sensed a ghastly chill descend upon her form. What horrors had this cat witnessed, perchance experienced, in order to possess such a malignant aura? "Dockfire, you are welcome to see them anytime you wish."

"No!" A grey tabby tom that Skypaw knew as Creekfrost stood, inputting his discordant opinion in strident tones. "No murderer will place a paw inside the camp of EclipseClan!"

"Silence!" Now, the imperial voice of a dark grey she-cat growled. "Have you forgotten the sacrifice Dawnsong made?"

No cat dared utter a word. Skypaw had long heard it rumored that a she-cat named Dawnsong perished about three moons ago in an attempt to preserve the peace between DuskClan and HerbClan, which, at the time, had been engrossed in a ghastly quarrel.

_Dawn's final song! _

And then: "Of course we have not forgotten, Herb."

"Then behave like so," Herb uttered fervently. "Quite being such hypocrites and put value behind your words."

"You haven't the right to speak to my deputy in such a manner," Dusk countered icily. "Fadingwish is not at fault. He respected Dawnsong even after I so foolishly demoted her. Inkstar, I believe the fault can be traced to one of your own."

No sooner than Dusk ceased to speak, another cat similar in appearance thrust herself forward, ire evident in each fiber of her being. "You claim to believe in this 'code of warriors' but you quarrel like kits, hurling petty insults. This Meeting is supposedly sacred to you and your beloved 'CloudClan' but you cannot uphold it. How futile and ignorant of you. SpiritClan has long seen the error of your ways and from this night forth, we shall no longer attend Meetings – unless you cleanse yourselves. Good night."

Empathy guttered within Skypaw as the haughty, independent leader summoned her Clanmates for departure. Perhaps this was the fulfillment of their ancestors abandoning and betraying them. Indeed, it seemed quite suitable since their petty quarrels caused another Clan to depart.

Adjacent to her, Sparrowheart whispered, "May CloudClan forgive us our crimes and punish us not."

"Why?" Skypaw prompted, affixed an apathetic stare to her mentor.

"Spirit had qualms about the existence of our ancestors since the first Meeting. We may have caused a Clan to go astray by severing its ties with CloudClan entirely. No cat will know what the consequences of that might be."


	5. Chapter 3

_Amberpaw_

* * *

><p><em>Mother, no!<em>

Albeit forbade not to accompany DuskClan warriors to the encounter with HerbClan, Cloudkit arranged them to depart the hollow in a stealthy manner. What errant kits they had been, their sole reward the gelid corpse of their beloved mother.

Now Amberpaw enlightened all cats of her presence, cleaving from the scant bush beneath which she and her littermates sheltered. At her cue, her littermates mimicked her actions. Dawnsong was prostrate against flinty soil saturated with crimson. Her rent rusty ginger fur rumpled beneath miniature paws.

_No!_

"Amberpaw?" Forsaking the ghastly vision, the apprentice affixed Redpaw with vacant yellow eyes. "Are you quite alright? You seem to be quite shaken. If the death of Dawnsong is what bothers you, then I might convince Faintlight to give you some poppy seeds to ease your sleep tonight. And if what I suggested holds true, then please don't be offended. We all still grieve her loss, Lighttail especially."

Flitting apathetic eyes to her father, Amberpaw sighted her father abashedly chafing the earth with a forepaw. When Hilltail admonished the fluffy white tom for behaving in such a manner, Lighttail arose and meandered toward the hollow. Two of the seven Clans had territories within walking distance of the Meeting hollow, one of whom was DuskClan. The other was AutumnClan.

"No, I should be alright," the wheat-colored apprentice amended, bounding after her father. Upon being within earshot, she yowled, "Lighttail!"

Her father halted and pivoted, golden eyes radiant. "Hello, Amberpaw. How did the Meeting fare for you?"

Agitated, Amberpaw sensed her fur commence to prickle. "Not well. It's just… I can't hear any cat mention _her _name. I know how young I was at the time she passed, but her death has the most clarity in my memory. And I feel remorse for my disobedience. Perhaps if we had all just remained in camp…"

"Stop that!" In kind, Lighttail was agitated. "Her death was not your fault!" He hissed. "In the moons before she perished, she reported an assortment of troubling dreams to me. Nothing could have prevented her death, you see. It was required to forge the strongest of bonds between cats separated for many moons, produce additional laws to the warrior code, and establish the system of apprenticing young cats."

"Did you say dreams?" Amberpaw queried, curiosity pulsating afresh beneath her pelt. "Like the ones Redpaw might have, being a medicine cat apprentice?"

Lighttail conceded, "Yes, your mother was the most peaceful and intuitive of any warrior. Redpaw must have possessed that trait from her." Silence and then: "I was going to visit her grave before you came. Would you like to accompany me?"

"I would like that very much," Amberpaw meowed.

No conversing occurred between father and daughter as moorland tussocks succumbed to deciduous trees, whose expansive, serrated leaves radiated with hues of crimson, tangerine, and gold – scarcely visible in scintillating swaths of moonlight. Positioned atop the crest of a slight knoll with a view into the riverbank, the territory in concern of Dusk and Herb during their quarrel that she strove to attain a truce for, was the gravesite. "Long before this was her grave, it was the grave of your sister, Russetkit."

"I remember her." As Amberpaw responded, she inclined her head to the left. "It was sad to see her die, even if I didn't understand at the time. The accident made Cloudpaw think he would never heal. He still left the camp regardless."

"Cloudpaw often disregards orders for the sake of fulfilling himself, but his ego will in time wane as he realized that the Clan will someday depend on him as a warrior, just as they will depend on you. Be strong, Amberpaw." Affectionately, father grazed his muzzle against his daughter's ear. "Please head back to camp now. You will need to rest soon, even if you feel as though you don't need it now, my precious daughter."

"Alright, father." Consenting, Amberpaw prowled down the incline, agitating the spread of decomposing leaves – albeit fresh hues were masking the dingy.

Upon planting a forepaw upon the scintillating stone, Redpaw inquired, "Are you sure that you will not require the poppy seeds?"

Appreciative of the concern proffered by her littermate yet sensing the obscurities of slumber weighting her slender shoulders, Amberpaw yawned, "No thank you, Redpaw. I believe that I will get to sleep without them."

"Very well," Redpaw meowed, receding to the confines of the medicine den, where Faintlight most assuredly awaited him. Amberpaw sought his lean form amid the obscurities until it had ebbed entirely. It was then that she made headway for the apprentice den, where Cloudpaw and Scarletpaw would most assuredly be enraptured in some deep slumber.

And her deduction was correct. Cloudpaw, a downy wad of white fur, was bowed in his mossy nest. A mere tail-length beyond, Scarletpaw had seemingly mimicked him in her own nest. There was a pang of love on behalf of her littermates and Amberpaw too assumed her position alongside Cloudpaw. _Sleep well, my kin. _Mere moments before succumbing to swells of slumber, Amberpaw glimpsed a flash of pale fur moving across the clearing. It was Lighttail, returned from the grave of her mother. _You too. May CloudClan grant you a peaceful sleep, dearest father._

* * *

><p>A raucous cry emanated from Amberpaw as she sighted a familiar rusty shape meandering amid the shaded boughs of the forest. "Dawnsong, is it you? Mother, how are you?" Paws responded in a repetitive gait to attain the attention of Dawnsong. Neither cat seemed to be capable of actual motion, though until Dawnsong abruptly pivoted.<p>

"Amberpaw, my precious daughter, how are you?" The deceased rust-colored warrior queried. No trace of the vermillion laceration at her throat was present, as if had been on the evening of her death. "I have missed you so very much, though I watch you daily. What a brave young cat you have become! Yet I fear that you must endure more. There are the darkest of secrets that you have no knowledge of."

_What is this secret she speaks of? Shouldn't Redpaw have these words spoken to him, not me? _Yet Amberpaw did not recoil when Dawnsong extended her muzzle, pressing their noses together. Some infinite silver luminosity magnified in her mind, assuming the very shape of a silver cat with amber eyes. Instead of pupils, which the eyes lacked, an irrepressible conflagration glowed. Searing tendrils enveloped Amberpaw in a tangerine void. There, said silver cat confronted Dawnsong, whose pale eyes teemed with moroseness. A dazzling explosion of radiance that caused the apprentice to screw up her eyes and when it ebbed, Dawnsong stood alone with five kits clustered about her legs. _What does this mean? Is Lighttail not my father? _

Dawnsong cast grieved eyes at Amberpaw within the vision, stating, "Lighttail is not your father, Amberpaw. Eclipse, the founder of EclipseClan, is. It was time that the truth was revealed to you."

_Do I tell my littermates of this new-found truth?_

* * *

><p>"Wake up!" Cloudpaw shrilled, brutishly prodding Amberpaw. "You <em>must<em> wake up, Amberpaw! This is an urgent matter!"

Bleary vision focused, and there were Scarletpaw and Cloudpaw clustered about her nest. Redpaw was decidedly some distance apart, surveying the scene with apathetic golden eyes. _Did they too have the dream? _With abruptness, the tainted notion surfaced. _Is this why they all seem so distraught?_

"Did Dawnsong visit you while you slept last night?" Redpaw voiced efficiently from his position. "If so, what did she say to you? Or rather, what did she show you?"

"Scarletpaw and I already know we had the same dream!" His fluffy white brother flashed irritably. "All we need is another proof from Amberpaw! Regardless, we're going to tell her!"

"I never said that you shouldn't," Redpaw responded. "But unless you want rumors to spread about us, you would be smart and discuss these tentative matters elsewhere, wouldn't you? The best place would be at her grave, far from any probing eyes and ears."

"Fine," Cloudpaw growled, tail comparable to forked lightning as it lashed horizontally.

_If he were just like his namesake, _Amberpaw conceded, suppressing her humor, _then his fur would be almost black by now! _

"Could you hurry up?" Cloudpaw thrust his white face between the barbed branches, glowering at Amberpaw, Scarletpaw, and Redpaw. "If we don't get up there soon, our mentors will come looking for us. Worse than that, the dawn patrol might overhear us!"

"Whatever," Scarletpaw retorted. "You know, this was Redpaw's idea. You don't need to stalk off like that and be all mad because _you _didn't think of it first."

Instead of responding definitely, Cloudpaw merely scoffed and forsook his littermates.

"Well, we had best get after him before he does something he'll later regret," Redpaw declared after a momentary lapse in speech.

* * *

><p>"This means that we are half-Clan," Redpaw clarified.<p>

_That makes sense, I suppose. Half of our blood comes from DuskClan and half of our blood comes from EclipseClan. _Yet Amberpaw was nonetheless disconcerted. "How do we prove where our loyalties lay then? Our father established EclipseClan and our mother was the first deputy of DuskClan. In either Clan, we have just as much claim of being a warrior."

"But our Clanmates might doubt our loyalty to them if they knew," Cloudpaw pondered, his azure eyes becoming slits. "We must keep this to ourselves. That way no cat will ponder the notion we might be disloyal."

"Not that we are!" Scarletpaw exclaimed apprehensively. "We are just as loyal to DuskClan as any other cat!"

"But our blood is not as pure, is it?" Redpaw queried. "Perhaps we are no more than traitorous scum."

"Blood does not have to be pure to induce loyalty," Lighttail inputted, emerging from fern fronds multiple tail-lengths away. "As for myself, I was born a kittypet, but I know that my heart belongs with DuskClan. As for you, I know that our blood is not shared."

"You _knew_?" Scarletpaw was aghast; the dark ginger hairs comprising her pelt prickling in a combination of dread and awe.

Lighttail moved forward so that a single forepaw was planted upon the mound of earth. "Dawnsong never truly _loved _me as a mate, not even after you all were birthed. Never once did she inform me that I was the father, merely let the Clan assume it," the pale golden tom informed the littermates grievously.

_Is that remorse I detect in his eyes? _Amberpaw sensed her features contort as she was ensnared by the events of the prior evening. It was then that his golden eyes too were teeming with some impervious agony. _How did I not see it then? He knew that we were not his; yet he bore us as a burden without uttering a word. Now, he will never have kits of his own, thanks to Dawnsong. And he must be furious with her. No, he must be furious with us, especially me. How did I never take note of his grief? Why did I allow him to comfort me when I should have been comforting him?_

Once the tumultuous thoughts waned, Amberpaw sought Lighttail, only to find his miniature figure slinking into the forest some distance apart, as though seeking prey. _He accepts it as fact! He accepts that we are not his kits!_

There was an evanescent sensation of alarm pulsating centrifugally from Amberpaw. Grim realism sought her out once more and all amusement was discarded. _This is the truth! I have kin in EclipseClan! How can I remain here when my family has crumbled into nothingness? How can I be loyal when there is nothing more to be loyal to? How could we have been so enveloped in lies?_

"I – I have to leave for a while," Amberpaw uttered the syllables in an uncouth stutter. "I just can't stay here. Not now, I suppose."

_Perhaps I will go to EclipseClan and meet my kin. Perhaps I will tell them of my identity, regardless of whether they believe me or not._

"But Amberpaw," Scarletpaw wailed. "If you leave now, then every cat will know!"

"And why would you want to destroy the perfect life we have?" Cloudpaw irately prompted.

Only Redpaw was ominously quiet; the tabby tom cast a vacant gaze into the section of forest where Lighttail had departed. As if per cue, Redpaw approached Amberpaw, grazing her ear with his nose.

_What will he say? _Albeit Amberpaw recognized the gesture as one of affection, she still speculated over whether she possessed at least one cat's approval.

"May CloudClan go with you, Amberpaw," Redpaw murmured inaudibly before moving so that he stood adjacent to Scarletpaw and Cloudpaw.

_Thank you. One day, when I am ready, I will return to you again._


	6. Chapter 4

As per usual, Acornpaw lay, prey prostrate between her paws, awaiting the arrival of her littermates, Marshpaw and Vinepaw, so that they might dine as they did at noonday. When at last her stomach convulsed from hunger and Acornpaw determined that she must consume the flesh, Marshpaw and Vinepaw approached, their eyes glistening, albeit their limbs quivered as if from some sort of exertion.

"We apologize for having you wait, Acornpaw," Vinepaw amended.

"It seems as though you hadn't the patience for our arrival, though," Marshpaw icily denoted.

"Oh, do quit harassing her!" The brown tomcat prodded his tri-colored littermate at the ribcage. "She's the medicine apprentice and she doesn't eat in the morning because she doesn't necessitate the energy that we do as warrior apprentices."

Apprehension blossomed within Acornpaw as Marshpaw irritably evaded Vinepaw's touch. "Does it matter?" When he uttered his complaint, menace steeped his voice. "I am allowed to have my opinion, aren't I?" The tri-colored tom crouched adjacent to Acornpaw. "Now, let us eat."

_Is it simply me, or does it appear as though Marshpaw and Vinepaw are constantly bickering? Perhaps I am merely too sensitive. Perhaps this is merely a matter of a brotherly row. Perhaps Marshpaw didn't sleep well or is simply too exhausted from training._

"Agreed," Vinepaw chimed, plucking a mouse from the prey pile. No sooner than he completed his consumption of the first mouthful, the brown cat amiably queried, "So how has your morning been, Acornpaw?"

"Juniperheart is still instructing me on poultices," Acornpaw responded. "I had never thought there would be so much information to absorb. Medicine simply seems to be natural for Juniperheart – and I thought it would be natural for me."

"No cat was born with the knowledge to excel instantly at their path." Vinepaw twitched his long white whiskers. "Knowledge and wisdom only onset with time and experience. The point here is, you mustn't give up at the first observation of trouble. Neither should you panic or succumb to depression."

Acornpaw gazed gratefully at her littermate. "Thank you." To Marshpaw, she meowed, "And you, Marshpaw? Could you inform me how training was today?"

"Training would have been better if Creekfrost and Squirrelwhisker hadn't decided to switch apprentices for the day," Marshpaw grumbled. "I accompanied Squirrelwhisker to the border we share with StreamClan. '_It's good to see our neighbors thriving, isn't it?'_" Marshpaw scathingly imitated. "Squirrelwhisker spoke those words to me." An indignant scoff emanated from Acornpaw's tri-colored brother whilst he delved his muzzle into the bloodied flesh of the squirrel carcass. Once his mouthful had been consumed, he resumed speaking. "He is incapable of fathoming that his loyalty is possession of EclipseClan, regardless of where his brother went."

"So if I were to relocate, say to DarkClan, you would have no concern for me any longer?" Vinepaw pensively gazed at Marshpaw. Acornpaw sensed the tension tainting the atmosphere. Her mere query had significantly altered the conversation – for the worse.

"Of course," Marshpaw responded tersely. "It would be better for us both that way."

"Kinship is a power that should never be misjudged," Vinepaw stated.

"Loyalty supersedes kinship," Marshpaw countered brashly. "Did Stream look back after establishing his Clan? No."

"But even after the death of Stream, Squirrelwhisker still cares enough to look out for his brother's Clanmates." Evidently, Vinepaw was unfazed by the brusque attitude of his littermate.

"That's enough bickering for the both of you," Blackthorn approached, ebony tail lashing to and fro, comparable to an irritated serpent. Even her tongue was steeped in menacing venom. "Vinepaw, you are to accompany the noonday patrol with me, Rowanpaw, Inkstar, and Squirrelwhisker. Marshpaw, Creekfrost informed me that you are to battle train with Lilypaw later. He wants to you instruct Gorsepaw, Pansypaw, and Fennelpaw of some techniques."

Vinepaw rose to his paws and mewed, "Well, it was a nice chat. I'll see you this evening." Skirting the prey pile, he shadowed Blackthorn to where Rowanpaw, Inkstar, and Squirrelwhisker awaited his arrival.

Disconcerted, Acornpaw observed Marshpaw as he cast an envious glance at Vinepaw, who stood close to Rowanpaw. _Could it be that my brothers are falling apart? _

"Good afternoon, Acornpaw," Marshpaw addressed the chestnut-and-white medicine apprentice brusquely before clambering toward the apprentice den. "I need to discuss tactics with Lilypaw, and then with Creekfrost."

_Is Marshpaw truly allowing a rift to grow between him and Vinepaw for the love of Rowanpaw? _Abruptly, Acornpaw sensed her stomach coil in nausea and almost felt as though her body induced a cold sweat.

"Acornpaw, are you alright?" Alerted to reality from her haze of dread, Acornpaw languidly blinked at Lunarbreeze.

Reluctant to alarm her mother, Acornpaw responded, "Yes, I'm quite alright." However, beneath her façade of fabrications, she was inept to reverse the sensation.

* * *

><p>Crimson spattered Acornpaw's fur, sullying the white of her chest and paws. Ahead, an obscured cat cackled malevolently, a corpse sprawled at its feet. "Is everything alright?" The chestnut-and-white apprentice dubiously called.<p>

Abruptly, the figure pivoted and Acornpaw could scarcely recognize the features of Marshpaw. Blood had been smeared across his broad face, blotting out his white muzzle and stripe. His claws were marked with crimson, elongated and serrated, tapering to a fine edge. "I've killed him, and if you tell any cat, then you'll be next," he stated, menace steeping his voice.

Acornpaw peered around Marshpaw, only to be accosted by vacant blue eyes. _Vinepaw! _

"How could you, traitorous scum?" Acornpaw shrilled. "You _murdered _our brother!"

Marshpaw curled his lip. "He had to go – he was far too weak. Couldn't you see that?"

Agony gouged her head, as though lanced by forked lightning. _No! No! Marshpaw would never do such a thing to Vinepaw! This – this must be a nightmare induced by all my worry!_

Tender contact came from the tail of a silver cat resting upon her shoulder. Marshpaw, Vinepaw, the blood and obscurities instantaneously dissipated. "Have no fear. We have only come to extend a warning to you."

Acornpaw pivoted. Four cats with stars stippling their fur gazed intently at her, two of whom she could recognize. They were silver and mottled ginger, respectively. For the third, a pale golden cat, she had a decent theory of its identity. Lastly, there was a solemn, sleek grey tabby cat with a white chest and white paws.

"Marshpaw will grow to become a dangerous cat," the silver cat, Eclipse, spoke. "CloudClan gave me a vision of the crimes he would commit."

"Is there not a way for me to prevent this?" Acornpaw blurted.

"_Beware. When kin fight kin, death is inevitable._" All four voices chorused. "_Beware. When kin fight kin, death is inevitable. When kin fight kin, death is inevitable. When kin fight kin, death is inevitable…_" Their varying voice recited the statement thrice-over as they too began to dissolve.


	7. Chapter 5

_Graytail_

Tussocks attired with scintillating silver encrustations of frost bowed beneath paws white as snow. Leaves beginning to alter in appearance in hue quivered as the slightest of zephyrs laced amid the boughs of nearby deciduous trees.

"It seems autumn is headed for the forest again." Graytail inhaled the peaty flavors of the forest.

"I haven't lived half as long as you," Redfall, a young russet warrior with an expansive brown back and white paws, remarked pensively, "but autumn is my favorite season – and not simply because it is the namesake of our leader."

"I heard that she's lived here for four season cycles," Whitepelt echoed, each hair that comprised his pelt bristling so as to ward off the frigidity. "Redfall," he addressed her Clanmate, "you're her kin. Do you know if it's true?"

Redfall behaved dismissively toward her senior, instigating Graytail's unease. "Don't believe everything that comes out of my mother's mouth. She told me that she and Autumn were kittypets once. But I've met their father – he's more than definitely a wild cat."

"As wild as they come," Sootclaw conceded in a mumble. "We had to rescue you from his claws. Thank CloudClan that he is not among the ranks of AutumnClan."

"We haven't the time to chatter and rumor about our Clanmates," Graytail inputted, noting the offensive stances of the warriors. "We are on patrol, defending our Clan, not causing discord within it." With a whisk of her grey tabby tail, Graytail proceeded among boulders marked with mossy niches. Fern boughs occasionally sprouted from atop said boulders.

"Yet it's perfectly alright for you to comment on the weather," Redfall muttered, commencing to plod along behind Graytail.

"What did Graytail just say?" Sootclaw queried, nudging the young warrior.

"Right," Redfall responded tactfully.

Ahead, Graytail gazed pensively between slender birch trees, whose chocolate and silver bark crudely peeled, revealing its peaty cream flesh. Leaves eddied to the decaying mulch beneath, a scant patch flanked on either side by soil, sparse grass and protruding stone. To the right, a minute gap marked the entrance to a meandering path adjacent to the roiling waters of the gorge. Even presently, its sounds were a vague din inundating her ears. _This is so lovely. Autumn chose our territory well._

But to the left, what fabricated that quiver of fern fronds? Two slits, golden as the perishing leaves, glinted. "Invasion!" Graytail shrieked as a large brown tom thrust himself at her, talons snagging in her downy pelt. Though much younger than herself yet possessing the fledged muscle capacity of a cat at war for seasons, her opponent dealt a vicious blow. Graytail reeled but rapidly clouted the young cat between the ears, causing him to dart to whence he came. Indeed, he seemed quite the coward in spite of his mass.

But another set of talons lacerated her flanks and Graytail, pivoting, saw a russet she-cat with pale green eyes, whom she discerned as Acornflight. _I have spoken with this cat before at Meetings! I had even thought her an ally! _Hissing, Graytail gouged a mark upon Acornflight's cheek. For what reason would SpiritClan assail them without provocation? No, they could not merely suffer starvation – if they should, then a request of prey would be the correct response. This assault was deliberate, intentional and AutumnClan could retaliate. By the allotment of the warrior code, they _should_.

"Graytail, look out!" Whitepelt screeched, mere moments before she was compressed against the soil by a warrior of SpiritClan. Asphyxiating against the dust, Graytail sought to loosen her restraint. With the aid of Whitepelt, she was freed and the white tom grappled with the opponent, a golden tabby tom with dark brown stripes.

Graytail rounded upon Acornflight. "Retreat now and AutumnClan might yet show SpiritClan mercy."

Breath was robbed of her as a second cat, a fluffy black tom with icy eyes, clamped onto her forepaw. Desperately attempting to retain balance on three paws, Graytail hovered inelegantly for the better half of a minute before the black cat clouted her rear legs. Therefore, the AutumnClan warrior collapsed and was pinned. "All we want is to get through. Since you have opposed us, then we must defeat you."

"Get off her, 'ya flea-ridden furball!" An unfamiliar voice rasped. Graytail scarcely glimpsed a petite black-and-white form scratching the black tom across his scrawny shoulder. "Scum like you is what our generation has become! Attacking she-cats, are 'ya? Bah!"

Whilst Graytail clambered to her paws, she surveyed the trio. Fronted by a disheveled black-and-white she-cat, evidently elderly from the grey furs stippling her muzzle, the cats brashly stood amidst the fray. _Who are these cats? What's more, I never dreamt that such an elderly cat could fight._

"Name's Crow," the elderly cat drawled, strutting forward. "I come to ask you 'bout my kin joinin' a Clan. These young'uns are just too bashful to speak for themselves…"

Before Crow might proceed further in her declaration, Graytail abashedly inputted, "I do not make decisions for AutumnClan. However, I assure you that as soon as our skirmish is finished that I will take you to Autumn. It's the least I can do, since you saved my life. Please, do step out of danger while we finish here."

As Crow released a guttural scoff, stalking toward a mossy boulder with the two younger cats - one a silver tabby and the other dark grey - at her rear, Graytail pounced atop the SpiritClan deputy, Falcontalon. Her silver talons punctured his flanks, initiating blood to leak from the injury. With an ireful yowl, Falcontalon ceased to grapple with Redfall and pursued his Clanmates. Graytail sensed pride imbue her, as though she redeemed herself. However, the sensation evanesced as a bloodcurdling screech inundated her ears. "Whitepelt, no!"

Redfall at her flank, Graytail hastened toward the source of the cry. Sootclaw, weeping, crouched with a single paw suspended above the frothing waters of the gorge. "He was fighting that hare-brained SpiritClan warrior! It was an unfair fight, doomed from the first! Bumbletail shoved Whitepelt, caused him to drown!"

"So SpiritClan deliberately assaulted us and robbed us of one of our warriors," Graytail murmured, attempting to prevent audible wrath from being discernable in her voice. "Let us return and inform Autumn of the tragedy. There is nothing more we can do for Whitepelt."

Pale blue eyes were alight with ire as Sootclaw rounded upon Graytail. "Nothing more we can do? Was it destiny for him to die today? You led the patrol – you led us into this trap! Whitepelt died in vain! He will never see our kits!"

_Is that true, even to the slightest degree? _Nausea arose in Graytail's stomach. _That I led Whitepelt to his death and robbed him of the opportunity to see his kits? CloudClan, I never knew that they were mates or anticipating kits together._

Redfall must have noted the distraught countenance of her partial kin, since the young warrior rested the tip of her dark tail atop Graytail's shoulder. "She grieves, Graytail. Whatever the insult, this incident was not your fault. Come now. I will assume the responsibility of informing my aunt - and Fogfang. He deserves to know that his brother has fallen."


	8. Chapter 6

Ceasing midstride adjacent to the thorn barrier, Heatherpaw awaited the arrival of fellow apprentices Rowanpaw, Larchpaw, and Aspenpaw. Since Inkstar recently discerned that the three young cats should advance from apprentices to warriors (mostly at the inciting of their mentors), the ebony leader sought to implement a method to demonstrate the theory. Heatherpaw heard it rumored by the trio that 'assessments' would indicate if an apprentice was an adept hunter. _Why not battle tactics? That is mandatory in our training, albeit a small amount. So why is it not present in the assessment?_

"Hello, Heatherpaw," Rowanpaw chirruped, bushy tail suspended like the arcing plumes of a feather behind her. The brown tabby apprentice, albeit initially alarmed by the appearance of the littermates (since they severed her of her intense concentration), was again immersed in a bout of intrigue.

Heatherpaw's mother, Creamtuft (formerly a kittypet by the name of Cream Puff), was coerced from her home approximately eighteen moons ago when her humans abruptly departed. Cream Puff and her sister, Doe, together survived in the blossoming wilderness – until Doe encountered a rogue cat whose very presence caused her to swoon. Creamtuft loathed the tom (though unaware of why she felt so) and consistently warned her sister to remain free of his influence. However, when Doe informed Creamtuft that she was anticipating the arrival of the rogue cat's kits, Creamtuft instigated a row which caused both cats to diverge from one another, hostile blood broiling between them. Whilst she meandered through the forest, Creamtuft encountered a former kittypet who took her in with the expansion of the cold season. His superficial amiability disappeared with the onset of dusk and for the entire duration of a night, Creamtuft resided in his house of torment. At dawn, she was able to attain liberty, but within weeks, she was beset with illness. A fox later located her den and Creamtuft was forced into the wilderness as she kitted. Early spring snows did not quell matters either, as Creamtuft almost bled to death. Thankfully, a border patrol of EclipseClan cats located her and by Juniperheart's deft paws, Creamtuft recovered. However, one of her kits perished (Creamtuft later named this small cream kit Lilykit).

Heatherpaw had never known kin (other than Creamtuft), and the closest she possessed was Rowanpaw, Larchpaw, and Aspenpaw. Creamtuft mentioned locating Doe's corpse (even confronting Doe's former mate over the matter) but never her kits. Because the trio were raised without the presence of a mother and possessed an uncanny resemblance to Doe, Creamtuft often saw them as her sister's kits (taking every visible opportunity to dote on them, as if that might amend her wrong).

"Quit dawdling, Heatherpaw," Whitetail gently spoke. "The others are waiting on us."

Heatherpaw bounded forward in an attempt to eclipse her apprehensions with adrenaline. Ahead, Rowanpaw's tail bobbed in a manner comparable to a flailing squirrel. Aspenpaw and Larchpaw flanked their littermates, conversing in hushed tones. Heatherpaw could scarcely discern the words they uttered, save for: "What are you going to do now that you're about to be a warrior and Vinepaw is still an apprentice?"

Rowanpaw loped to a halt, mimicking the actions of her mentor, Inkstar; Heatherpaw awaited her response with baited breath. Then the epiphany: why, exactly, did this concern her? All cats aged and had kits of their own when the time was right. No, it was more a matter of… _we're yet too young_, Heatherpaw conceded.

Inkstar imperiously rid her voice of raspy tones, while simultaneously directing the attention of the cats present to the speech ahead. "For moons, you three apprentices have prepared to become warriors. Here is the final test. Your mentors and I will be watching you as you hunt. Heatherpaw and Whitetail will act as our guest surveyors. Do well, and I am certain of your imminent success."

At the summons, the apprentices lunged forward into the interwoven bracken stalks, moving centrifugally from the Crystal Pool. Mere moments after their disappearance, Inkstar signaled for the scant group to spread. Fernberry and Leafnose padded after their apprentices, Rowanpaw and Aspenpaw, respectively. Heatherpaw stalked in the direction of Rowanpaw, treading in the pawsteps of Inkstar. In past moons, the ebony leader sheltered herself in Eclipse's den, dirtied and reticent. Now, her pale eyes radiated enthusiasm and pleasure like twin suns as she surveyed the apprentice she instructed in prior moons.

But said internal hope dissipated with the sounds of a fray ahead. Claws rent fur; blood's acidity tainted the air inundating Heatherpaw's nostrils. "Get off my sister, you fiend!" Aspenpaw shrieked. Heatherpaw glimpsed her tabby-and-white pelt tackle a brown-and-cream cat. Was that Meadowthorn of SpiritClan? Now that Heatherpaw was closer, advancing toward the fray, the recognized the muscled shape of the Clan deputy, Falcontalon, and of a fellow apprentice named Timberpaw.

Heatherpaw hurled herself at Timberpaw, whose fangs delved into Whitetail's shoulder fur. "What are you doing, trespassing here? Release my Clanmate, coward!" Latching his sable scruff between her jaws, the brown tabby apprentice attempted to free her mentor.

Timberpaw rent a clod of fur from Whitetail's shoulder, strewing droplets of crimson as both cats stumbled backward. "My Clanmates and I have already fought through the defenses of AutumnClan and DarkClan. Only EclipseClan bars us from StreamClan."

"And what wrong have StreamClan done to you?" Heatherpaw caustically remarked.

"I'll give no more information," Timberpaw retorted, peeling back his lips to reveal rows of fangs scintillating with crimson. "EclipseClan are our enemies."

Heatherpaw swiped at Timberpaw; the apprentice almost collapsed atop himself. "Fool!" Heatherpaw stooped to hiss in his serrated ear. "We never had to be your enemies. But because you've shattered the warrior code, it seems to be that we are."

There was a mournful yowl which commanded the essence of Heatherpaw's attention. _Inkstar! _Peering about the fray, she noticed Meadowthorn looming above Inkstar, her dark blue eyes glistening with menace.

Heatherpaw leapt across the broad back of a SpiritClan warrior, latching onto Meadowthorn and unbalancing the tabby-and-cream cat. "Stay away from our leader!"

"Too late," Meadowthorn leered. "I've already managed to rob her of a life, if not more."

Heatherpaw scored her talons between Meadowthorn's eyes. Her opponent grimaced as rivulets of the viscous substance hindered her sight. For multiple moments, she sought to free herself, scrabbling rashly until one of her lashes struck Heatherpaw in the stomach. Winded, Heatherpaw landed upon the soil, the sensation of ebony blotches storming across her vision.

"Get up." Amidst her daze, Heatherpaw vacantly gazed at the imperial form of a cat from her Clan. Another patrol, comprising Barkclaw, Blackthorn, and Creekfrost, had somehow been enlightened of the dispute and proffered aid to their Clanmates.

"Get out of our territory!" Creekfrost pounced upon Falcontalon. "You CloudClan forsaken brutes have no concern for the warrior code!" Tufts of fur swirled about the grey tabby as he demonstrated no mercy to the SpiritClan deputy.

Heatherpaw hastily stood and Blackthorn paced backward. "Get to Inkstar at once and detach her from this battle. She may have recovered, thanks to your intervention, but she is in no state to continue. I'll hold the SpiritClan warriors away from you." With an ireful, discordant hiss, Blackthorn cast her talons upon Boulderjaw, producing a ghastly incision at his side before dragging him to the soil.

Heatherpaw snaked between the sprawled limbs of a leggy russet tabby tom, ducking so as not to avert his attention from his visible opponent. For good measure, however, as she emerged on his opposite side, Heatherpaw scored his flank with the claws affixed to her hindpaws. Foxbird yowled agonizingly and Fernberry delved his fangs into the tom's forepaw, causing him to crumple.

Before Fernberry might thank her, Heatherpaw moved forward, distinguishing Inkstar's ebony pelt ahead. Timberpaw and Mottlewing detained the thrashing leader beneath their paws, rancor evident in their belligerent eyes and dilated irises. Heatherpaw yowled her fury, albeit above the din, her ire went unheeded by the enemy. Surreptitiously, the brown tabby apprentice ducked into a tunnel comprised of entwining branches of bushes and scampered forward, crouching and with clandestine steps. At the mouth of the bush, she dived at Timberpaw, securing a blow with the accuracy of a viper. Mottlewing was notified of the presence of an enemy and bit into Heatherpaw's ear. Inkstar was able to stand and valiantly attempt to detach Mottlewing from her target, but the damage was already inflicted. Blood oozed from a sizable gash upon Heatherpaw's ear.

"Black – Blackthorn sent me to fetch you," Heatherpaw panted as Mottlewing and Timberpaw absconded.

"While I appreciate her gesture, possessing leadership does not liberate me of battle," Inkstar responded solemnly.

Yet in spite of her bravado, Heatherpaw noted the injuries of her leader and the exhaustion evident in her rheumy eyes. What, exactly, was the appearance of a leader in the aftermath of losing a life?

"Look!" Heatherpaw inhaled joyously. "SpiritClan are leaving!"

Inkstar breathed out her pent up apprehension before collapsing onto the earth. Before Heatherpaw might move to proffer support, Blackthorn and Barkclaw approached.

"She's lost a lot of blood," Fernberry calmly noted as her fellow warriors bolstered Inkstar upon their shoulders.

"Let us fetch her to camp rapidly then," Barkclaw stated brusquely, padding onward.

As Barkclaw and Blackthorn paced past Heatherpaw, the brown tabby apprentice discerned hushed words. "If only Sun were here," Blackthorn murmured. Heatherpaw was unsure how to response, since she rarely heard Blackthorn speak of her sister, especially not in such regretful tones.

"Is Inkstar alright?" Rowanpaw hastened toward her Clanmates.

"She will live, with CloudClan's blessing," Creekfrost clarified with a pensive twitch of his whiskers. "Only they know that our retaliation against SpiritClan was justified. And you fought well, thanks to the training she provided you with. Come now, you should have your wounds seen to."

"Especially you, Heatherpaw," Fernberry chimed. "Great CloudClan, that gash on your ear is dreadful!"

_I had forgotten about that._

* * *

><p>By the eve of the subsequent day, Inkstar had seemingly mended, as had Heatherpaw (though the poultice remained still on her injured ear). When the beckons arose from the ebony leader at nightfall, Heatherpaw identified the reason – further demonstrated when she sighted the appearance of the three apprentices beneath the boulder. <em>What will their new names be? More so, what might my name become - when my day has come to pass?<em>

"Cats of EclipseClan, I have gathered the whole of you today because of the events of yesterday. Although our apprentices were deliberately assailed by SpiritClan warriors, they fought in the manner of warriors. For that reason alone, it has come to my attention that these three apprentices are capable of defending EclipseClan. Rowanpaw, Larchpaw, and Aspenpaw, please stand forward at this time.

"Rowanpaw, I assign to you the title of Rowanfall, for your tail appears like a falling feather. Larchpaw, I assign to you the title of Larchtail, because your tail is long and thin like the trunk of a larch tree. Aspenpaw, I assign to you the title of Aspengaze, since you have keen eyes with which to spot prey from distances away. Clanmates, welcome your fellow warriors."

"Rowanfall! Larchtail! Aspengaze! Rowanfall! Larchtail! Aspengaze!" Varying tones of voice arose in a chorus to greet the three newly appointed warriors. No cat seemed more pleased than Creamtuft, whose golden eyes radiated joy like twin suns.

Yet Heatherpaw was disconcerted. _These cats may or may not be our kin. Will my mother be more pleased when I am appointed a warrior? Or does she care more for Rowanfall, Larchtail, and Aspengaze than me?_

"And on a final note," Inkstar's decree silenced the cacophony. "Another apprentice fought well yesterday. However, she is yet young to become a warrior as her peers have. But we do honor the courage of young Heatherpaw."

"Heatherpaw! Heatherpaw! Heatherpaw!"

And rightfully proud was Heatherpaw.


End file.
